From: Roland Francis <[email protected]> <[email protected]> Subject: [Goanet] Michael Lobo - MLA Calangute
Almost tripled his net worth from USD 3 million (20 crore) in ?a statement by the AcB 2012 to USD 8.1 million (54 crore) in 2016, as declared. General reckoning is one's actual worth (Indian politicians) is about 10 times declared worth. Has Michael Lobo increased his sales of Calangute coconuts or is it something more sinister on the lines of what Roger D'Souza described in a recent post. Goan voters are being cuckolded by their leaders. Roland Francis Toronto. >From a nobody in 2007 to being elected the MLA of Calangute, Michael Lobo’s emergence in Goa’s political arena, otherwise a competitive slugfest, has been ‘out of the blue’ so to say. Born in 1976, Michael Lobo was a dish washer at a restaurant and was promoted to waiter. Today at 40 years after embracing the all to well-known fast-forward path of India's corrupt politicians to wealth and riches by being part of the BJP, he owns three resorts and six restaurants in the Baga-Calangute area alone. Michael Lobo’s wife Delilah is the sarpanch <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarpanch> of Parra village. Lobo and his wife were in possession of properties and pecuniary resources in the form of cash at hand, money in banks, National Savings Scheme and postal savings, land, jewels, insurance and properties worth about ₹200 million (US$3.0 million) as in 2012. For 2016 he only declared Rs 49.45 crore assets to his credit, BJP's Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has managed to create over a triple fold increase in his declared riches as compared to in 2012. Mind you these are only his declared assets! In his loyalties to the BJP he criticizes honest Goans who have opted to go abroad to eke out an honest living rather giving in to the rampant corruption or starve along with the families due to the lack of employment. As Rajan Narayan who was the Editor of Herald and now Goan Observer says, “after working for 40 years of journalism, including 33 years in Goa, my total assets including a one bedroom flat in Taleigao is less than Rs 50 lakhs, staying the same over all my years in Goa because I have been an honest journalist.” How did these MLAs like Michael Lobo from being dish washers become the Badshahs and Maharajas of Goa? The switching of parties with corrupt MLAs like Mauvin Godinho and Pandurang Madkaikar being embraced into the fold to everyone doing a tap dance till the eve of the Goa elections, all sorts of permutations and combinations were being manipulated only with a view to ensure that they can loot the Goa Exchequer for the next 5 years. March 11th will unravel what is in store for us and if Goans have not kicked these bloody rogues out then we have no one else to blame but ourselves and deserve what we get. Below are a compilation of articles from the print media that tells it all. These Goan politicians are a blight and a curse to the Goan people, sucking the marrow out of our very bones through their corruption, destroying God’s Creation and will not stop at even destroying our Goan culture and fabric. *Sitting MLA Michael Lobo stands tall with Rs 49.45 cr* THE GOAN NETWORK / PANAJI | 20th January 2017, [image: Sitting MLA Michael Lobo stands tall with Rs 49.45 cr] Richest contender is BJP’s liquor baron Dattaprasad Naik from Taleigao Constituency who is known to produce spurious liquor with Rs 65.39 cr With an astonishing Rs 49.45 crore assets to his credit, BJP's Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has managed to create over a double fold increase in his riches as compared to in 2012, which stood at Rs 20.69 crore. According to affidavits he filed in 2012 and now, his assets have grown not only in cash and bank deposits, but also in ownership of land. In 2012, deposits in bank accounts, fixed deposits and other types of deposits for the year 2012 had totaled Rs 1.72 crore. According to the affidavit, he had a total of Rs 2.33 lakh in bonds, shares and units in companies. His motor vehicles back then cost Rs 1.07 crore and gold of 10 grams worth Rs 20,000 was also declared as assets. Back then, his total movable assets totaled Rs 6.53 crore. His wife Delilah declared Rs 40.59 lakh. As for land, he had owned 17 non-agricultural land admeasuring 1,13,022 square feet. He also declared to be the owner of six commercial buildings including Resort Terra Paraiso and Dominos Pizza, Baga. His immovable assets reached a total of Rs 13.72 crore. His liabilities totalled Rs 4.08 crore. Five years on, Lobo has gotten 15 insurance policies, 30 savings accounts with balance ranging from as low as Rs 88 to as high as Rs 46 lakh and 33 deposits in bank accounts. His cars included two Toyota Innovas, a Mercedes Benz and BMW, a Tempo Traveller and Maruti cars. The cars alone total 1.4 crore. Lobo's entire movable assets totaled Rs 16.35 crore. His non-agricultural land count dropped to 11 plots but owned 13 commercial buildings and five residential buildings. His immovable assets totaled Rs 33.10 crore. His declared income went up from Rs 62.68 lakh in 2012 to Rs 1.63 crore for 2017. His wife’s income also increased from 62.11 lakh to 1.62 crore in a matter of five years. *IPB PARSEKAR’S JACKPOT <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/05/ipb-parsekars-jackpot/>* By Goan Observer Team <http://www.goanobserver.in/author/sid/>November 5, 2016 <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/05/> <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/05/> *JACKPOT:* The Industrial Promotion Board headed by Laxmikant Parsekar is alleged to be the fountainhead of corruption. On Bhau-beej, big brother Parsekar distributed saris to all the women in his constituency of Mandrem The total assets of the Laxmikant Parsekar cabinet exceed `50 crores. Among the re-elected MLAs who admitted to a huge increase in assets despite being in the opposition is the chief minister whose assets increased by 749 per cent from `1.26 crores in 2007 to `10.75 crores in 2012 IT is well known that chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar leads the loot and plunder by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through the Investment Promotion Board (IPB). In competition is tourism minister Dilip Parulekar who has been making crores in commissions by promoting helicopter rides, hot air balloons and duck boat rides among other money making projects. *Assisting him is Curchorem mining crorepathi Nilesh Cabral, who declared assets of *`*13.42 crores in the 2012 elections. Now in his position as chairman of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), he is selling the tourism department’s crown jewels.* *MANDOVI BRIDGE* [image: Mandovi bridge]NOT lagging far behind are industries minister Mahadev Naik and power minister Milind Naik. Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar in collusion with Venkat Rao is looting the state through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC). Kunkolienkar has the support of GSIDC chairman Pramod Sawant who declared assets worth `1.25 crores in 2012. One example is the concretisation of the still incomplete Miramar-Dona Paula jetty road at a cost of `100 crores and the unnecessary third bridge over the Mandovi. [image: cover-story-pic-3]Not surprisingly, except controversial sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar who has been implicated in the Ruby building scam in Canacona, all other members of the Parsekar cabinet are *crorepathis*. Tawadkar is only a *lakhpathi*, but will join the ranks of the *crorepathis* when he files his declaration for the 2017 elections. In 2012, he declared assets of `81.36 lakhs. The average assets of the ministers of the present BJP government, at `4.49 crores, are higher than those of the members of Digambar Kamat’s cabinet. The richest BJP MLA is neither Deepak Dhavalikar nor Parsekar. It is Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, chairman of the North Goa Planning & Development Authority (NGPDA). He has succeeded, through his close relationship with former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, to get Calangute and Candolim also included in the NGPDA. *Lobo, who owns many hotels and is the patron of the North Goa Taxi Association, declared assets of over *`*20 crore while contesting the 2012 assembly elections.* Pandurang Deepak Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) from Priol, an alliance partner of the BJP, has the highest assets according to his affidavit filed while contesting the 2012 elections. He is worth `13.40 crores, an increase of `11 crores over his assets in 2007. *PARSEKAR ASSETS* FOLLOWING closely behind is Parsekar whose assets in 2012 were worth `10.74 crores and are reported to have increased to more than `25 crores during the present tenure of the BJP government. *Even while he was in the opposition between 2007 and 2012, Parsekar managed to increase his assets by 749 per cent from just *`*1.26 crores in 2007 to almost *`*10.74 crores in 2012.* Power minister from Mormugao Milind Naik, who has been refusing to grant electricity connections to mega investment projects approved by the IPB, is the third richest member of the present cabinet. The value of his assets rose from just `72 lakhs in 2007 to `7.49 crores in 2012. His assets are also expected to cross `25 crores when he files his nomination for the 2017 election. In terms of the extent of loot and plunder, the number four in the cabinet is public works department minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar whose total assets in 2012 were `5.58 crores, up from `3 crores in 2007. He is also expected to show much higher gains during his present tenure as a minister in the BJP cabinet. Dhavalikar is among the few MLAs who was also part of the Digambar Kamat cabinet. In 2012, he switched sides and the MGP aligned with the BJP, breaking its ties with the Congress. [image: cover-story-pic-5]Irrespective of which party MLAs from the mining constituency are elected from, they are among the richest members of the Assembly. Take Ganesh Goankar from Sanvordem, the hub of the mining industry. *The chairman of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) declared assets worth *`*7.40 crores in 2012. His colleague in Sanguem admitted to assets worth *`*7.08 crores.* Chandrakant Kavlekar from Quepem declared assets worth `5.31 crores. Following the suspension of mining and its slow revival, the mining MLAs may not fare as well during the current tenure of the assembly in respect of increasing their assets. *RAKSHA MANTRI* *DEFENCE minister Manohar Parrikar declared assets worth *`*3.40 crores when he filed his nomination in 2012. This was 228 per cent higher than the assets he had declared in 2007.* We do not know whether he has accumulated any more assets after going to the centre. But we do know that during his second term as chief minister, he acquired a bungalow in Dona Paula. He also got a plot allotted for his second son in the GIDC industrial estate. Parrikar’s second son is married to the daughter of the president of the Builders Association, Desh Parabhudessai. Parrikar however is known for his integrity though he has tolerated large scale looting by his cabinet colleagues like *Babush Monserrate. Babush declared assets worth *`*23 crores with his wife Jennifer also recording a similar amount, together totalling *`*46 crores.* Contrary to general belief, Mathany Saldanha who was among the first Catholic politicians to join Parrikar was not exactly a poor man as projected. The leader of the *ramponkars* had assets that increased by 127 per cent, from `3.36 crores to `7.65 crores between 2007 and 2012. Following his unfortunate death, his seat was inherited by his wife Alina Saldanha who has declared assets of `2.89 crores. This reduction could be because of the Uniform Civil Code where the wife inherits only 50 per cent of the husband’s estate. The MLA who has seen only a very notional increase in his assets is deputy chief minister Francis D’Souza whose assets increased by just three per cent or `10 lakhs between 2007 and 2012 to `3.04 crores from `3.15 crores. *DILIP PARULEKAR* BJP’s CULTURE minister Dayanand Mandrekar from Siolim has declared assets of `2.63 crores which represents an increase of more than 300 per cent between 2007 and 2012.* Parulekar, who is considered among the most corrupt members of the Parsekar cabinet, was worth only *`*35 lakhs in 2007. In 2012, he declared assets worth *`*1.50 crores, an increase of more than 300 per cent.* His assets are reported to have increased by over 1000 per cent as tourism minister. [image: cover-story-pic-6]Forest minister Rajendra Arlekar, who reduced the status of the coconut tree to a grass to help the clearance of a distillery by the IPB, saw his assets increase from `44 lakhs to `one crore in five years. *Kiran Kandolkar, who had to be satisfied with chairmanship of the horticulture corporation, saw an increase in his assets by *`*1 crore, from *`*80 lakhs to *`*1.90 lakhs.* Of the BJP MLAs who have not been able to make it to the cabinet, Anant Shet who was re-elected from Mayem saw an increase in his assets from `24 lakhs in 2007 to `88 lakhs in 2012. Of the independent candidates who joined the BJP cabinet, Avertano Furtado who defeated Churchil Alemao from Navelim has declared assets `1.03 crores. He is expected to return to the Congress party next year. Mauvin Godinho who is set to contest as a BJP candidate in 2017 increased his assets from `2.73 crores in 2007 to almost `8 crores in 2012. Velim independent candidate Benjamin Silva who has been supporting the BJP government has doubled his assets from `1.21 crores in 2007 to almost `8 crores in 2012. The Hindu Catholic Carlos Almeida who contested on a BJP ticket from Vasco recorded an increase in his assets from `1 crore to `2 crores. *Former police officer Lavoo Mamledar who contested the 2007 and 2012 election on an MGP ticket is the only MLA supporting the Parsekar government who has shown a decline in his assets from *`*1.81 crores in 2007 to *`*1.35 crores in 2012, a fall of 25 per cent.* *OVER *`*50 CRORES* THE Parsekar cabinet had total assets of over `50 crores in 2012. It is expected that their assets will show a huge increase when they file their nominations for the 2017 election. The perception is that the BJP government under Parrikar and Parsekar has been even more corrupt than Digambar Kamat’s Congress government. The situation has worsened after Parsekar took over as he is following the tradition of loot and let loot started by Kamat. [image: cover-story-pic-7] The milch cows of the Parsekar government have been the IPB and the Tourism Department. The loot and plunder from the IPB may be affected by the recent High Court order that IPB approval did not imply consent by Coastal Regulatory Zone or other regulatory authority. The other milch cows have been the forest and environment ministry, first headed by Alina Saldanha and then by Rajendra Arlekar. Arlekar reduced the status of the coconut tree to grass to enable conversion of orchards. He has also been granting NOCs to mines without clearance from the central ministry of forest and environment. The other milch cow is the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation which has bagged all the mega projects and is controlled by a close confident of Parrikar. The health insurance scheme and free talk time are the latest scams of the BJP government. *CB files charge sheet against ruling party MLA Michael Lobo for forgery* *Calangute MLA, others charged with forging a CRZ no objection certificate for hotel project in Calangute in 2006; officials of Coastal Zone Mgmt Authority charged with colluding in forgery* 12 Mar, 2016, Team Herald PANJIM: After seven years of investigation, the Goa Crime Branch (CB) filed a charge sheet BJP MLA Michael Lobo indicting him and three others of forging a coastal regulation zone (CRZ) no objection certificate (NOC) for a hotel project in Calangute in 2006. The charge sheet, a copy of which is in possession of Herald, charges Lobo and business partner Francis alias Franky Viegas of destroying the original forged letter that speaks about giving a clean chit to the project ‘as it is situated beyond 500 mtrs of the high tide line’. “Both (Lobo and Viegas), during the interrogation denied possessing the original forged documents. They did not disclose anything. It means that they have disposed/destroyed the letter with intention to destroy the evidence,” reads an extract of the charge sheet filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Mapusa. The charge sheet further says, “…fraudulently and dishonestly produced the notarised forged document along with other documents with village panchayat of Calangute and Town & Country Planning as genuine to obtain construction licence, amalgamation, extension of construction licence and NOCs for construction on plots…” What’s interesting is that the forged letter was typed on the official computer belonging to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), prompting an FIR against the concerned officials. The computer hard disk was recovered during the course of investigation. A forensic test of the evidence established the letter, issued by the Member Secretary of GCZMA on May 17, 2006 in the name of British national Gurnek Singh Mann was created on the GCZMA computer. “This proved that government officials were hand in glove with Lobo, which is why retired director and ex-officio joint secretary, department of science & technology Panduranga Varde and retired draftsman-I of GCZMA Wilfred Aloysius Nicolau Joao are also named in the FIR and charge sheet,” an officer told Herald. The charges include going ahead with the construction works without conversion sanad for survey numbers 301/2, 3 and 5 from the authorities. Sanad for survey numbers 4 and 12 was issued in 2009, two years after the construction plan and licence were granted in 2007. Sources said that Lobo, operating a property firm by name One Stop in 2006 had taken the sole responsibility to obtain permissions from the concerned authorities. “He had been an influential builder though he held 25 per cent ownership of the hotel, even before becoming the MLA,” he said. The MLA has, however, denied the charges claiming the project is not illegal. “I am not involved in the forgery,” he said. The four have been charged under sections 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), 420 (cheating), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. *BJP MOST CORRUPT <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/27/bjp-most-corrupt/>* By Goan Observer Team <http://www.goanobserver.in/author/sid/> November 27, 2016 <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/27/> <http://www.goanobserver.in/2016/11/27/> The BJP has been far more corrupt than the Congress. The Mopa airport is a huge land scam which is an action replay of the Special Economic Zone scam. The Investment Promotion Board is the fountain head of mega corruption, particularly during the tenure of Laxmikant Parsekar as chief minister. *By Rajan Narayan* SCAM: It is alleged that more than 80 per cent of the land given to the contractor at Mopa is for commercial development and not for the new Greenfield International airport. This is an action replay of the Special Economic Zone scam. T*he day after prime minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of `1000 and `500 notes, it was announced that no question will be asked about deposits in savings accounts in demonetised currency up to `2.5 lakhs.* As far as we know, there is no limit to fixed deposits in current account registered companies, whether they are private limited or public limited. *BENAMI DEPOSITS* IN ANOTHER of these notorious U-turns for which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is well known for, the Income Tax Department has threatened to slap charges against even those depositing between `2 lakh and `2.5 lakhs in devalued currency under the newly enforced Benami Transaction Acts. The Modi government has also threatened to penalise those who deposit money and those whose accounts the money is deposited in. The rationale is that people with large amounts of black money are using their employees, maids and drivers to convert black money to white through their accounts. The Association of Democratic Reform has revealed that the BJP received more than `700 crores as political donations during 2014-15. Under the present election commission guidelines, political parties do not have to account for contributions less than `20,000 received in cash. It has been revealed that over 80 per cent of the BJP funds at the centre and state are claimed to be amounts below the ceiling. If the common man is considered a criminal because he deposits his own hard earned money which he has retained in `1000 and `500 notes, should not the BJP be considered the biggest criminal of them all? If the individual bank account holder has to account for deposits over `2.5 lakhs, surely the same principle should apply to political parties. In fact at present you cannot even get information about party funds under the Right to Information as they are exempt from the purview of the act. *TOTAL ASSETS* AFTER working for 40 years of journalism, including 33 years in Goa, my total assets including a one bedroom flat in Taleigao is less then `50 lakhs, staying the same over all my years in Goa because I have been an honest journalist. In sharp contrast, between 2005 and 2007 when he was not even in power, the assets of Goa’s present chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar increased by 749 per cent from `1.26 crores to `10.74 crores, an increase of `9 crores over a five-year period when he was just an MLA. As far as we know, Parsekar has been a school teacher and principal all his life. Should not the Income Tax Department be asking him how his assets increased so much 2007 and 2012? And will the Lokpal and governor let us know by how much his assets have increased since he became a minister and subsequently chief minister after being re-elected in 2012. Will the Income Tax Department investigate whether the *saris* he distributed to all his sisters in the constituency were bought with cash or paid for by cheque? *MOST CORRUPT* THIS question should be asked not just to Parsekar but to all the ministers of the current government. If the Congress, which ruled Goa between 2007 and 2012, was voted out because of rampant corruption, the present BJP government should not be allowed to win even one seat in the 2017 election. It has been a hundred times more corrupt then the Congress government. *At least the Congress provided some jobs even though they are alleged to have auctioned them.* But then, every politician in power at least since statehood has demanded huge bribes for providing jobs. With every pay commission, the bribe to the politicians or their agents increases. The sad part is Goans are waiting, willing and wanting to pay the bribe. They look upon it as an investment which will give a better return on investment in any other form including real estate or gold. Almost every second day, whenever there is an ad for government jobs – whether it is for drivers, lower division clerks, nurses or police constables – I get dozens of requests to use my contacts to get young people I know government jobs. *JOBS AUCTIONED* THEY assure me that they are willing to pay and do not expect the politician to give them the job free. For over a year now, a good doctor friend has been after me to get his nurse’s husband a job as a driver because he does not want her to leave his hospital. *What is the secret of the huge increase in assets of even opposition MLAs between 2005 and 2007, even though their assets are grossly disproportionate to their known sources of income? *There is no way Parsekar could have acquired assets worth over `9 crores in five years from his salary as the head master of a school for even if he is the owner of the school. It is a matter of record that Parsekar not only expanded his school but started a teacher’s training college in his constituency during his tenure as chief minister. He has also made sure there would be no competition by refusing permission for expansion to a school started by Congress leader Ramakant Khalap. In every assembly session, there are questions on hotels and other structures which have come up in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules. Over the last 20 years, the largest number of hotels which have repeatedly violated CRZ rules and gotten away with it are in the chief minister’s Mandrem constituency. Parsekar, who has been an MLA for three terms, has admitted that the majority of the resorts in the constituency which includes Morjim, Arambol and Ashwem are illegal. Coincidently or otherwise there are areas in Mandrem called little Russia as they are controlled by Russians. Even the menus and tariff cards for rooms and tents built on concrete platforms are in Russian. Is it possible that the increase in his assets between 2005 and 2007 are due to the protection he has extended to these resorts from demolition under the CRZ rules. The biggest alleged source of kickbacks to the BJP and chief minister is the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) which was empowered to bypass all other regulatory bodies to grant permission to five and seven star resorts, and polluting industrial units like distilleries. It has now been revealed that many of the resorts cleared by the IPB had been refused permission because they did not conform to CRZ rules. *PARSEKAR ASSETS* IS IT possible that Parsekar’s assets have shown a further increase from 2014 since he became chief minister? Unfortunately for the resorts and the other industrial units cleared by the IPB without CRZ clearance, the projects have been stayed by the High Court. The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has made it very clear that IPB permissions are subject to clearance by the other regulatory authorities including the CRZ Authority and the pollution control board. Parsekar has been guilty of going back on the BJP’s assurance that no fresh casino licenses are issued. Since the BJP came to power, three more casinos have been granted licenses to berth in the Mandovi River. Two belong to the High Street Group owned by Jaydev Mody. Parsekar himself recently granted permission to a sixth owned by a controversial politician who has been charged with serious offenses including murder. Again one wonders whether the chief minister and the BJP have benefited from extending additional licenses to casinos who seem to be back in business after a lull due to demonetisation. *CONGRESS LOOT* THE Congress was accused of looting and plundering money by delaying the new regional plan till the end of Digambar Kamat’s term as chief minister. The party has also been accused of extending patronage to the mining industry and of handing over large plots to land sharks in the CRZ scam. But the BJP’s scams are much bigger. And unlike the Congress led by Kamat who scrapped the Regional Plan 2011 and cancelled the CRZ policy, the BJP did not stick to its promise of freezing casino licenses. Between Mopa, the projects approved by the IPB and the proposed electronic city in Pernem, the BJP is alleged to have made much more money than the Congress. How much has gone to the party and how much into the pockets of ministers and MLAs will be known when they reveal their assets while filing their nominations for the 2017 election. We are not making a case for voting the Congress back to power. Both the BJP and the Congress are equally corrupt. In addition, the BJP is communal and does not believe in freedom of speech or religion, or even your right to eat the food you want to. In all the BJP-ruled states except Goa, the sale and consumption of beef is banned. *Our advice to you is to ignore political parties and vote for the best candidate. We will give you all the information you need about every single candidate. One advantage of having spent 33 years in Goa is that I know the janam kundalis (horoscope) of every politician and expiring politician in Goa!*
